Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
/Dominica XXVIII per Annum C
12 October 2025
The first reading and the Gospel selection follow a remarkably similar narrative. A leper, who is a foreigner, is cleansed and has enough awareness to notice, to make a return, and to thank God in adoration and homage. Two lepers. Two non-Jews. Two who are not part of God’s People. Only these are aware of the gift they are given; only these make a return; only these thank God. And because their eyes are open to the gift and because their hearts are filled with gratitude, they receive still more from God: not only physical healing but the salvation of their souls that unites them to God’s People and to the worship and sacrifice offered to the true God!
Over time the biblical imagery of the physical malady of leprosy has become a figure of spiritual malady. While we are not concerned about the transmission of leprosy in our community, we can apply a broader spiritual lesson to our lives. In particular, I want to encourage an application of the lesson to our life as Christian stewards. The spiritual lessons come from what the Gospel tells us happened as the lepers were leaving Jesus. Listen again, “As they were going they were cleansed. And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God…; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him.” Some fundamental but critical spiritual lessons come from this description. These lessons from the one leper should be part of our lives. The lessons are threefold: realizing, making a return, and glorifying or thanking God.
The lesson of realizing is being aware of what God does for us, being aware of what is given us, and how we are blessed. It is a self-awareness and an awareness about God. It is not a call to self-absorption, but rather it is a lesson to be more reflective, prayerful, and recollected so that we take notice of what is happening in us and around us, especially as it regards our life with God. Being aware in the spiritual life takes effort and practice. We are often so busy about the things of the physical realm, the things our senses can perceive, that we leave largely untrained and undeveloped the skill of taking notice of our soul and the movements of the spiritual realm. The simple comment of the Gospel highlights, however, just what a difference this lesson makes. All the lepers were cleansed. Apparently only one was aware. Only one noticed. Only one realized. The other nine kept going their way. The awareness of the one, led him back to a deeper encounter with God Himself. See, then, how important a practice awareness is?!
The second lesson is making a return. When we are reflective and train ourselves in spiritual awareness we are less likely to miss what is going on in our life with God. Being more in tune with God’s movements and His blessings in our lives, we then are in a position to respond by making a return to Him. Without developing this lesson, we risk, like the other nine lepers, going on our merry way unaware of both how we have already been blessed by God and how we might be still more blessed if we made a return and remained in God’s presence, remained where He is clearly bestowing His blessings.
The third lesson is glorifying and thanking God. God deserves and is owed our praise. Recall the Alleluia verse? “In all circumstances, give thanks!” Our individual prayer, our virtuous living as temples of the Holy Spirit, and our worship at Holy Mass and adoration in the chapel are all important ways we glorify God. Given that the Greek word for “giving thanks,” used in this Gospel passage when the one leper thanked Jesus, given that the word is eucharisteo, we have a clear connection to the Holy Eucharist. This takes on a deeper meaning for us as Catholics in that being present at Mass to worship and taking time to be before the Lord in our adoration chapel are clear connections to the giving thanks that is the very heart of the Holy Eucharist.
What we see in this Gospel passage is that these spiritual practices of realizing what God is doing, making a return, and glorifying and thanking Him in Jesus, are not only appropriate ways by which we celebrate what God generously gives us, but these practices open us to even more blessings from God. Notice all ten lepers received the blessing of healing, but only the one received still more, for he heard that not only his flesh, but his soul, was healed: “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.”
Given today’s Gospel lessons about awareness, making a return, and giving thanks we might ask ourselves: Do I seek to be aware and to count the blessings I have? Am I grateful to God for what He has done in my life? Do I thank Him in the prayers and offerings of the Holy Mass? Do I thank Him by making a commitment to time in adoration in our chapel? Am I grateful for the people and things, the skills and blessings, God has put into my life? How do I express that gratitude? Do I give back to God? I think awareness, gratitude, and stewardship have a direct connection: When you take time to reflect, and to notice, and to be aware of the gifts you have been given, you quite easily want to give back. This is the habit I urge you to form. It will reap benefits in your life. It will reap benefits in our parish life as we seek to meet the demands of running a parish. And it will reap benefits in the lives of others we seek to serve.
In today’s passage faith is what saves the leper. Awareness/realizing – making a return – thanking God – and increased faith and trust all go hand in hand. If you will work to be reflective and aware in your spiritual life, you’ll find more blessings. You’ll be more grateful. It will be much easier to give back to God. And you will receive still more, since your awareness and gratitude lead you back to God in all things, helping you remain in His sight and in the place where He bestows richer blessings than you can imagine.